Recent emergency surgery put me on a bit of a forced vacation. The upsides of this unfortunate situation: catching up on two seasons of “Grey’s Anatomy,” quality time with the dog and my friends delivering my family a few meals. It’s not that my family is incompetent in the kitchen, but this is what people do when a friend is down and out. They drop by with a nice dinner.
I was the recipient of a delicious meal from Pastaria, some fresh bone broth, a smoked turkey and lentil stew I still think of fondly, and this simply amazing pasta dish. Apparently this is my friend’s go-to pasta dish, and it just became mine, too. So the next time you have a friend taken out of commission, bring a pot of water to boil and make this simple delicious meal.
Lemon and Arugula Pasta
3 to 4 servings
1 lb. spaghetti or other thin noodle
¼ cup minced shallot
3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cups arugula
Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to taste, divided
1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water.
• Meanwhile, in a medium pan over medium heat, saute shallots in the olive oil 3 to 4 minutes until soft.
• Place the shallots and arugula in a large shallow serving dish. Add the lemon zest and juice, ¼ cup cheese and the black pepper and toss to combine.
• Use tongs to transfer the pasta to the serving dish. Add the pasta water and toss well until the noodles are coated. Top with remaining ¼ cup cheese and serve.
Dee Ryan is a longtime contributor to Sauce Magazine and regularly pens Make This.
This article appears in June 2017.